the stellar axis is a giant art piece depicting the 99 brightest stars in the southern hemisphere. blue fiberglass spheres of various yet relative sizes represent the stars - with sirius being the largest. they are arranged as they are in the sky, in forms of constellations as they are when the solstice occurs.
This is possibly my very favorite youtube video. Apparently it's the second most watched video on there, and I'm wondering how many of you have seen it before. I love his pure unselfconsciousness, and how much fun he is obviously having! Makes me grin every time his hands go up in the air.
Here's a link to a Wikipedia article on it. Here's a copy of a press release about it, on the maker's own website.
Avoid speaking when possible. Speak softly, but do not whisper.
Have you ever had a secret, and wished you could just tell someone? Now you can. If you put your secret on a post card, and mail it to the PostSecret site, they may put it up on their blog for the world to see....anonymously. I find it very fascinating to see people's secrets here, and realize that sometimes we're not all that different. Sometimes the secrets make say "Oh, yeah!" and other times they make me want to cry. Go check it out. PostSecret
Removable parts? Suffocation risk? Lead paint? Pussy hazards compared to the granddaddy of them all. Lawn Darts, or "Jarts," as they were marketed, would never fly in our current ultra-paranoid, safety-helmeted, Dr. Phil toy culture. Lawn darts were massive weighted spears. You threw them. They stuck where they landed. If they happened to land in your skull, well, then you should have moved. During their brief (and generally awesome) reign in 1980s suburbia, Jarts racked up 6,700 injuries and four deaths.I guess as an only child, this was a fairly safe game! The only danger I had was making sure I didn't spear the cat. Our set is still down in my mom's garage. Perhaps I should not introduce Daniel to the joys of Jarts...
It's a cute story about Baba Brayna, who is so old she is almost blind and deaf. She is getting ready for Chanukkah celebrations, and does not realize that the "rabbi" she has invited in is actually Old Bear. It's a fun, engaging story that children of all religions will enjoy.
that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is
| Daniel's favorite stuffed animal is his panda. (See a few posts down about the Christmas party, first picture.) He's in bed right now, but I can't wait to show this to him tomorrow! | |
This is an unusual book review, in that I have not actually read this particular version of the book. Here's the story:The Littlest Angel removed his halo and breathed upon it heavily, then polished it upon his robe, a procedure which added nothing to that garment's already untidy appearance, and then tiptoed in!The Understanding Angel fetches a small box from under the Littlest Angel's bed back home. In this box are all the treasures in the world a boy could save: a butterfly wing, a bit of eggshell, some stones, a scrap from his favorite dog's collar, etc. After having his box again, the Littlest Angel is then transformed to the most model Angel in Heaven.
The Singer who was known as the Understanding Angel looked down at the small culprit, and the Littlest Angel instantly tried to make himself invisible by the ingenious process of withdrawing his head into the collar of his robe, very much like a snapping turtle.
At that, the Singer laughed, a jolly, heart-warming sound, and said, "Oh, so you're the one whose been making Heaven so unheavenly! Come here, cherub, and tell me all about it!"
The Littlest Angel looked furtively from beneath his robe. First one eye. And then the other eye.
Suddenly, almost before he knew it, he was perched on the lap of the Understanding Angel, and was explaining how very difficult it was for a boy who suddenly finds himself transformed into an angel. Yes, and no matter what the Archangel said, he's only swung once. Well, twice. Oh, alright, then, he'd swung three times on the Golden Gate. But that was just for something to do!
That was the whole trouble. There wasn't anything for a small angel to do. And he was very homesick.
It will be up for auction next month as part of the Tamarkin Photographica Rare Camera Auction.
Shrinking all kindergarten classes by one student would cost $2.3 million; reducing them to 15 kids would cost about $18 million; and trimming all K-3 classes to 15 would cost about $173 million, CPS officials estimate. "For class size reduction to make a difference, you'd have to reduce class size to levels that are so small that most school districts cannot afford it,'' said Thomas Carroll, president of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.However, my rebuttal to that is the fact that teacher quality can be directly improved by reducing class size, because a smaller class means he/she can teach more effectively, without needing any special "training." I'm also realistic though, and know that the bottom line is often what matters. All I can do is hope our local population shrinks again, if I want a class of only 16 children.
"Districts can get more for their money by improving teacher quality.''
Time to start reviewing Christmas books! I'll start with a traditional story. Everyone knows the poem by Clement C. Moore. Here it is told alongside Jan Brett's intricate illustrations. As I said in my author review of her in November, she pays great attention to detail in her drawings, even to the point of studying actual reindeer to depict them accurately. The book is a visual wonder. As with any of my reviews, click on the book and it will take you right to that item in www.barnesandnoble.com.
These pictures do little to show the scale of the grotesque mutant spiders that were dangling en masse from every web-suitable surface in Brisbane, Australia. Did I misread Leviticus? I thought Jesus expressly forbid any beast that walketh upon the ground with an open circulatory system to grow to the size of Yao Ming. These spiders were obviously sent from Lucifer himself.She cracks me up! Her journal is interesting in so many ways. She takes great pictures (including some really nice macros of local odd foods she finds), and she writes not only about modelling but about the many interesting countries she's been to. She is a brilliant writer, who often makes me literally laugh out loud. Go. Enjoy. http://elysesewell.livejournal.com/
Can this man play piano or what??? If you're a music lover, and are looking for a new CD to get for Christmas, I can personally recommend his CD "Within." This particular song isn't on it, but what is there is just as amazing, plus there are many more that are absolutely beautiful. He can play fast or slow, and it's all wonderful. (Not to mention, he's pretty easy on the eyes!)
